Meet Jonathan Regier | Actor & Singer/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Regier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, how do you think about risk?
Life is an adventure. I’ve always taken risks in the hope of greater rewards. Whether it’s studying abroad in Egypt, bungee jumping off a bridge, or moving to Los Angeles, I’ve endeavored to challenge myself to grow. That doesn’t mean that every risk works out as intended, but I’d rather try and fail than fail to try.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an actor, I’ve played a recurring character on BET’s The Family Business, partied with Taylor Swift in her music video “The Man”, and shared a scene with Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul. It hasn’t been easy. I think the hardest part has been working to build momentum in the art that I’m passionate about while juggling a survival job and other side hustles to pay my bills in this city. I am so looking forward to the day that I make enough to live off from my art. But that’s not the case for most of us. We are a rare breed, willing to hustle and fight for our craft.

In the last couple years, I’ve really been leaning into my accent abilities to set me apart and book work. I played an Irishman on BET’s The Family Business and I’ve become a “Swiss-Accent-Knife” for Voyage Media’s narrative podcasts: I was Scottish opposite Iain Glen from Game of Thrones, Ukranian opposite Ann Dowd from The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as Australian, Polish, Russian, and French speaking southern American. But I owe this recent slew of bookings not only to Voyage Media, but to my super talented Aussie friend Nerida Bronwen. She asked me for help as a reader for her audition and told me I could just do a British accent instead of Australian because that would be easier. But when I asked if I could try Australian, she encouraged me and gave me a strong referral to the show and the rest all fell in to place!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the Hollywood Bowl! A couple friends and I go in for cheap tickets at the beginning of the season and invite our friends to join us for shows throughout the summer. You can bring in drinks and food and enjoy a peaceful evening under the sky.

My cousin visited me last year, and we hit up a local brewery so we could get birria from my favorite street food vendor, La Prieta Mexicana. Then we went to a Dodger’s game and found a couple people willing to give us their extra tickets if we bought them each a beer. And the next day we went to the beach in Santa Monica and found food on the pier.

If we had more time, we could have joined some beach volleyball, hiked Griffith, caught a show at the Pantages, drank the best old fashioned’s at Foreman’s Whiskey Tavern, ate at Salsa & Beer, Aroma Cafe, Cardamom Indian food in Montrose, or had “crack-bacon” BLT’s at Harvest Moon (they don’t call it that, but it’s reaaally good bacon!).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to every friend, casting director, producer, venue, etc. that saw potential in me and hired me to work with them. Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on me even when I didn’t have much experience!

Additionally, my college theatre professor, Judy Harder, imparted to me a relentless quest for truthfulness in acting. Fellow college actors and improv comedy teammates Michael Woods and Landon Tucker gave me many priceless moments of joy working together. And the acting community in Virginia Beach was incredibly kind and supportive as I grew in confidence and skill with some of my first professional jobs.

In LA, there’s booking coach Amy Lyndon who helped me refine my audition approach and learn to audition competitively. My extremely talented voiceover friend Jay Preston guided all my recent growth as a voiceover artist. Brilliant writer and producer Libby Ward hired me for an animation years ago and never failed to invite me along to each new project that she worked on. And the incredible actress Megan Hensley referred me to my agent Carissa Mitchell who got me the opportunity to share a scene with Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul! I could go on and on, but it definitely takes a network of people who believe in you and fight for you to make progress in this city.

I’d also like to thank God for saving me and loving me even when I’m a whiny little sheep sometimes 😉

Website: www.jonathanregier.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanregier

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fondralaelum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathanregiermusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jonathanregier

Image Credits
David Muller Photography Luis Villafranca